Cardinals Pummel Dodgers Again, 9-2

Clayton Kershaw walked five and gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings, and the Los Angeles Dodgers lost their fifth straight game, 9-2 to the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Allen Craig hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning to knock Kershaw out of the game. St. Louis has outscored the Dodgers 29-9 in the first three games of the series.

Craig had three hits, starting in place of the red-hot Lance Berkman, who had six home runs in his previous five games. Kyle McClellan got the win for St. Louis, allowing two runs in seven innings of work.

Andre Ethier had three hits, including two doubles, extending his hitting streak to 14 games, which is the longest in MLB this season. The Dodgers send Chad Billingsley to the mound on Sunday to try to avoid a four-game sweep. Chris Carpenter starts the series finale for St. Louis.

For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on today's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

Hong-Chih Kuo Placed On Disabled List, Plus Dodgers Vs. Cardinals Lineups

The Dodgers have been quite familiar with the disabled list so far this season, and today they used the DL again, placing relief pitcher Hong-Chih Kuo on the 15-day DL with a left lower back strain. The move was retroactive to April 14. Ramon Troncoso was recalled from Triple A Albuquerque to take his place.

Kuo has been battling an issue with his back since spring training, and manager Don Mattingly said it has caused the left-hander to leave balls up, which has affected his control. Kuo had an MRI last weekend in San Diego which showed no major damage. He will not throw for at least a few days, and in the meantime will undergo a few tests, the extent of which are yet unkown.

Here are tonight's lineups:

Cardinals (7-7)

Theriot SS
Rasmus CF
Pujols 1B
Holliday LF
Freese 3B
Craig RF
Laird C
Greene 2B
McClellan P

Dodgers (6-8)

Gwynn LF
Blake 3B
Ethier RF
Kemp CF
Uribe SS
Loney 1B
Barajas C
Miles 2B
Kershaw P

Tonight's 7:10 p.m. PDT game will be televised on Prime Ticket.

For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on today's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.

Dodgers Tab Clayton Kershaw To Snap Losing Skid

The Los Angeles Dodgers look to Clayton Kershaw to snap their four-game losing streak on Saturday night, facing the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw, 2-1 with a 1.37 ERA this season, did not allow a run in seven innings on opening day, his only home start this season. Kyle McClellan gets the start for St. Louis.

After a pair of one-run losses in San Francisco, the Dodgers have suffered a pair of crushing defeats to the Cardinals. St. Louis scored 20 runs and banged out 35 hits in the first two games of the series. Pujols came into the series hitting .229/.296/.313 with one home run, but he is in fact Albert Pujols, and has reminded the Dodgers of that with three home runs in two wins.

Kershaw won in San Francisco on Monday, which also happens to be the Dodgers' last win. Kershaw pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, but Dodger starting pitchers have struggled since then. In four games since Monday, Dodger starting pitchers have allowed 19 runs (18 earned) in 20 innings.

For more news and information on the Dodgers, or on today's game, be sure to read the SB Nation blog True Blue LA.